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Leptospira was investigated in kidneys (n = 305) from slaughtered livestock in the Gauteng Province abattoirs, South Africa, using a culture medium to isolate Leptospira, followed by the LipL32 qPCR to detect Leptospira DNA. The SecY gene region was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for LipL32 qPCR-positive samples or Leptospira isolates. The overall frequency of isolation of Leptospira spp. was 3.9% (12/305), comprising 4.8% (9/186), 4.1% (3/74), and 0% (0/45) from cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p > 0.05). However, with LipL32 qPCR, the overall frequency of Leptospira DNA was 27.5%, consisting of 26.9%, 20.3%, and 42.2% for cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p = 0.03). Based on 22 SecY sequences, the phylogenetic tree identified the L. interrogans cluster with serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and the L. borgpetersenii cluster with serovar Hardjo bovis strain Lely 607. This study is the first molecular characterization of Leptospira spp. from livestock in South Africa. The reference laboratory uses an eight-serovar microscopic agglutination test panel for leptospirosis diagnosis, of which L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo bovis is not part. Our data show that pathogenic L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii are circulating in the livestock population. Diagnostic use of molecular methods will eliminate or reduce the under-reporting of leptospirosis in livestock, particularly sheep, in South Africa.

Background Brucellosis is an infectious and contagious zoonotic bacterial disease of both humans and animals. In developing countries where brucellosis is endemic, baseline data on the prevalence of brucellosis, using abattoir facilities, is important. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against Brucella in slaughter cattle at Gauteng province, South Africa and to characterize isolates of Brucella spp. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, un‐clotted blood samples with corresponding organ tissue samples were collected from slaughtered cattle. Serological [Rose Bengal test (RBT), complement fixation test (CFT) and indirect ELISA (iELISA)], molecular (PCR) and bacteriological methods were used to detect Brucella antibodies and Brucella spp. from 200 slaughtered cattle in 14 abattoirs. Results The RBT revealed a seroprevalence of brucellosis as 11.0% (22 of 200) and iELISA confirmed 5.5% (11 of 200). The estimated seroprevalence from RBT and iELISA was 5.5% while RBT and CFT was 2.0% (4 of 200). Brucella melitensis (n = 6) and B. abortus (n = 5) were isolated from 11 cattle tissues (5.5%) as confirmed to species level with AMOS PCR and differentiated from vaccine strains with Bruce‐ladder PCR. Seven of the 11 isolates originated from seropositive cattle of which five were biotyped as B. abortus bv 1 (n = 2) and B. melitensis bv 2 (n = 1) and B. melitensis bv 3 (n = 2). Conclusions This is the first documentation of B. melitensis in cattle in South Africa. The zoonotic risk of brucellosis posed by Brucella‐infected slaughter cattle to abattoir workers and consumers of improperly cooked beef cannot be ignored. Seroprevalence and characterization of brucellosis in cattle slaughtered at Gauteng abattoirs, South Africa.

Multi-host pathogens are challenging to control and are responsible for some of the most important diseases of humans, livestock, and wildlife. Leptospira spp. are some of the most common multi-host pathogens and represent an important cause of zoonotic infections and livestock productivity loss in the developing world, where contact with wildlife species is common. Although there is increasing evidence that cattle in Africa harbour a broad diversity of Leptospira genotypes and serovars, little is known about the epidemiology of these pathogens in wild bovids, such as African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). Using microscopic agglutination testing (MAT) on serum samples collected from free-ranging buffaloes (n = 98) captured in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), South Africa, we demonstrated an overall seroprevalence of 21% with seropositivity almost exclusively limited to serovar Tarassovi (serogroup Tarassovi). Moreover, we found no evidence of seropositivity in unweaned calves and showed temporal- or herd-specific variation in exposure risk, and increased probability of seropositivity (OR = 5.44, 95% CI = 1.4–27) in female buffaloes. Together, these findings demonstrate that free-ranging African buffaloes are exposed to Leptospira spp. infections, providing insights into the epidemiology of an emerging Leptospira serovar in herds with an absence of any disease control and minimal management.

In South Africa, brucellosis testing and record‐keeping are done by several laboratories, thus it is difficult to access any organized data to assess the status of the disease. This study evaluated the seropositivity for brucellosis using Rose Bengal test and complement fixation test in suspect cattle, sheep, goats and pigs sera submitted to Bacterial Serology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Council‐Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC‐OVR) from nine provinces in the country during the period 2007–2015. This retrospective data analysis was conducted to estimate the occurrence of brucellosis in the country from the submitted samples, identify variables that affected seropositivity for brucellosis, investigate existing gaps in data recording and make recommendations on important variables to facilitate better data capture and inferences on brucellosis. Nine years of data were collated and analysed to detect association (seropositivity over time regarding animal species and location). Of the 764,276 animals tested, the distribution of samples was 90.50% (691,539/764,276), 5.19% (39,672/764,276), 3.92% (29,967/764,276) and 0.41% (3,098/764,276) for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, respectively. The seropositivity for brucellosis by animal species was 6.31% (43,666/691,539, 95% CI: 6.26–6.37), 2.09% (828/39,672, 95% CI: 1.95–2.23), 0.63% (189/29,967, 95% CI: 0.55–0.73) and 0.13% (4/3,098, 95% CI: 0.05–0.33) in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs respectively. The data available did not capture information on the age, sex, breed and other host risk factors that would have been related to seropositivity for brucellosis. The data provide an understanding of the disease occurrence and confirm that brucellosis is enzootic in South Africa. Improved and standardized data collection can be used to pro‐actively drive, monitor, change or formulate policies to mitigate the challenges brought about by brucellosis in the livestock sector in South Africa. A retrospective study on brucellosis in South Africa.

Humans live in a technosphere but remain residents in a biosphere.1 Koi i nā po'ai pili ao ola a pili mo'omeheu e hana pū ma nā pilikia nui o ka honua a kākou e 'alo nei ma o ka hooholomua 'ana i mau hanana pili ao ola a pili mo'omeheu I mea e ko ai nā UN Sustainable Development Goals, ka Paris Agreement, ka Sendai Framework, a me ka New Urban Agenda o Habitat III.2 EMBEDDED IN THE NEW UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS is an urgent message for the conservation community: addressing the planet's looming crises requires better integrated nature-culture approaches and on a global scale.\"8 This phrasing recalls the 1972 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Convention, whose full title is the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and whose policies have long recognized that sites often include and integrate elements of both natural and cultural significance.Native Hawaiian traditions like Aloha 'Aina (mutual respect for one another and a commitment of service to the natural world) and Kuleana (care for, responsibility for, and stewardship of the lands and seas) helped shift the focus from a perceived division between nature and culture to one that highlighted the nexus between biological and cultural diversity, and how their conservation and sustainability require an understanding of \"modern\" knowledge that includes traditional wisdom.Ultimately, a joint IUCN-ICOMOS curatorial committee selected a variety of emphases, including: * Rights-based approaches, equity, and equitable and effective governance. * Cultural landscapes and biocultural landscapes. * Climate change adaptation and resilience, including learning from ecology, culture, history, and ancestral voices. * Indigenous science, and local and traditional cultural and ecological knowledge (intergenerational transfer of traditional knowledge; using, linking, and reconciling traditional knowledge with western scientific approaches). * The role of local natural resource management systems and local dynamic cultural systems/heritage in the conservation of nature. * Nature-culture linkages in the urban and peri-urban contexts. * Ecosystem goods and services; inclusion of dynamic cultural processes-valuing broader socio/economic/health benefits for local and traditional communities. * World Heritage and protected area processes-recognition of interlinkages of natural and cultural values; partnerships and management. * Integrating social and cultural dimensions into large-scale ocean conservation.

Previous laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that the Ocular-motor Deception Test (ODT) accurately discriminates between truthful and deceptive individuals. The ODT uses the Relevant Comparison Test (RCT), a test format that asks examinees about their involvement in two relevant issues, although examinees can be classified as deceptive to only one issue. The present study investigated whether ocular-motor measures can discriminate between truthful and deceptive individuals and identify the specific crime deceptive individuals committed on a test that asks about four relevant issues.One hundred and eighty participants were recruited from the community and the University of Utah campus. Sixty participants stole $20 (cash), 60 participants stole $20 and a VISA gift card (cash+card), and the remaining 60 participants were innocent (innocent). Participants were asked about their involvement in four mock crimes: theft of $20, theft of a VISA gift card, vandalism of a parking kiosk, and filing a false police report. Cash participants were deceptive to cash statements, cash+card participants were deceptive to cash statements and card statements, and innocent participants were truthful to all statements. Reactions to cash, card, and vandalism statements were compared to those on false report statements to determine deception. After a participant finished the ODT, they completed a vocabulary test to assess their levels of crystallized intelligence. As predicted, cash participants showed significant changes in pupil dilations and reading behaviors to cash statements, and cash+card participants showed significant changes in pupil dilations and reading behaviors to cash and card statements. A logistic regression function correctly classified 83.3% of innocent participants, 91.7% of cash participants, and 85.5% of cash+card participants. For innocent participants, 90% of cash items, 91.7% of card items, and 96.7% of vandalism items were accurately identified. For cash participants, 93.3% of cash items, 83.3% of card items, and 96.7% of vandalism items were accurately identified. For cash+card participants, 75% of cash items, 68.3% of card items, and 93.3% of vandalism items were accurately identified. Area under the receiver operating curve was .92 for cash classifications and .85 for card classifications.Limitations of the present findings and implications for field applications are discussed.

Leptospira was investigated in kidneys (n = 305) from slaughtered livestock in the Gauteng Province abattoirs, South Africa, using a culture medium to isolate Leptospira, followed by the LipL32 qPCR to detect Leptospira DNA. The SecY gene region was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for LipL32 qPCR-positive samples or Leptospira isolates. The overall frequency of isolation of Leptospira spp. was 3.9% (12/305), comprising 4.8% (9/186), 4.1% (3/74), and 0% (0/45) from cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p > 0.05). However, with LipL32 qPCR, the overall frequency of Leptospira DNA was 27.5%, consisting of 26.9%, 20.3%, and 42.2% for cattle, pigs, and sheep, respectively (p = 0.03). Based on 22 SecY sequences, the phylogenetic tree identified the L. interrogans cluster with serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae and the L. borgpetersenii cluster with serovar Hardjo bovis strain Lely 607. This study is the first molecular characterization of Leptospira spp. from livestock in South Africa. The reference laboratory uses an eight-serovar microscopic agglutination test panel for leptospirosis diagnosis, of which L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo bovis is not part. Our data show that pathogenic L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii are circulating in the livestock population. Diagnostic use of molecular methods will eliminate or reduce the under-reporting of leptospirosis in livestock, particularly sheep, in South Africa.

This volume brings together all the major contributions to the recent decade-long controversy over Karl Marx's theory that exploitation of workers is the exclusive source of capitalists' profits. The debate explores different modern interpretations' success in confirming Marx's conclusion.

This thesis applies new methods to understanding and interpreting the structure of the Mediterranean basin through three different specific studies (chapters 5 to 7), each of which applies several different GIS technologies to create a theoretical model of the wind and wave environment of the Mediterranean during the period of the Roman Empire. The first of these studies the Mediterranean in terms of its geomorphology, and considers possible movement between areas of the Roman Empire. The second examines the interconnectivity properties between different port locations in the Mediterranean basin using routes between different known locations and spheres of contact. The third examines the possible movement patterns along a known axis of travel between two documented port locations in the Mediterranean basin.